| Re: DHS Variable m18 and m19 values meaning [message #30498 is a reply to message #30483] |
Tue, 10 December 2024 09:58  |
Janet-DHS
Messages: 917
Registered: April 2022
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Senior Member |
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Following is a response from DHS staff member, Tom Pullum:
I recommend using the KR file, e.g. NGKR7BFL.dta, in which the children are cases and you don't have subscripts (_1, _2, etc.). In Stata, enter "describe m18 m19". The results will tell you the names of the labels. In the 2018 survey the label names are M18 and M19, respectively. To see what the codes for m18 refer to, enter "label list M18":
. label list M18
M18:
1 very large
2 larger than average
3 average
4 smaller than average
5 very small
8 don't know
There are only 5 legal values, apart from 8. These are very subjective. Beware the reverse coding: a larger code indicates a smaller baby.
For m19, the variable label is "birth weight in kilograms (3 decimals)". That means you divide the number by 1000 to get weight in kg. Then
. label list M19
M19:
9996 not weighed at birth
9998 don't know
These codes must be excluded for the calculation of means or other statistics. Some weights, in some surveys, are implausibly low or high and should be taken cautiously.
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